Recent Books

RECENT BOOKS. HISTORY or THE FIRST UNITED STATES MINT, ITS PEOPLE AND ITS OPERATIONS. By Frank H. Stewart Privately printed, Philadelphia, 1924 Pp 209 Frontispiece portrait Rembrandt Peale 's Washington. Ulus 30 ; Edition limited to 500 copies. 8°. The first Mint was the first public building erected by authority of Congress, The site selected was in Philadelphia, on the east side of Seventh Street, between Market and Arch, above Sugar Alley, afterwards called Farmer Street and now Filbert There the group of variously storied buildings was erected for government office and coinage and there operations continued from 1792 to 1833 In the latter year, by virtue of the provision of Congress foT larger quarters, the Mint establishment was removed to the architecturally imposing structure, then just completed, at the northwest corner of Chestnut and Juniper Streets After which the original Mint buildings, at 37 and 39 North Seventh and 629 and 631 Filbert Streets, met with the usual vicissitudes until 1907, when they passed by purchase into the possession of Mr Stewart, the author of the present woTk, and were finally razed, in 1911, to make way for the modem equipment of the Frank H Stewart Elec trical Supply House How Mr Stewart, actuated by patriotic vision, vainly endeavored to preserve intact for the City the historic coinage house is best told in his own words in the pages of his history, which is well printed, with sketches of early directors, engravers, coiners ; lists of payrolls, and extracts of expenditures, a wealth of illustration and a good index The years come and go and with them the passing of Philadelphia landmarks . . . . . . . . . . . S . - P . . HISTORY OF THE APPRENTICES LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA 1820-1920, THE OLDEST FREE CIRCULATING LIBRARY IN AMERICA. By John Fred erick Lewis, Philadelphia, 1924. Pp. 101 Frontispiece, Carpenter 's Hall Ills 100 ; 8° It is interesting that the histories of the Apprentices Library and of the First United States Mint should appear in the same year, and, that their authors should be gentlemen directors of The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. It is also interesting that the first Mint building was, from 1836 to 1841, the third home of the Apprentices Library, its first having been 100 Chestnut Street, old number, once occupied by the Treasury Department of the United States, and its second, the second story of Carpenters ' Hall Lastly, it is a matter of interest to note the Philadelphia firsts, lest we forget Early in February, 1820, Thomas Kim be r, Daniel B Smith and Samuel L Shobcr met in the parlor of the first, at 125 Race Street, to discuss the propriety of forming a company to furnish “ the young people of the City with suitable reading matter. ' ’ Other meetings, followed in quick succession ; the movement gained strength, Roberts Vaux, “ the Philan thropist " and Robert I Evans added their potential personalities ; a Constitution, prepared by Mr Kimber, was adopted and, on February . . . G . - . . . . . - . (195 ) 1924 Copyright The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania PGM Vol IX Recent Boohs . 196 29, 1820, the first officers of a * Library for the free use of Apprentices ’ ’ were elected The library TV as to be maintained by annual contributions of two dollais and donations of books Its constitution was signed by over four hundred members, a veritable honor roll of the City for that date, among them one woman, Elizabeth Marshall, a grand -daughter of Christopher Marshall, the diarist, and “ the first Woman Pharmacist in America. } > This autograph list, given in fac -simili together with the portraits and sketches of the five founders, its Wetherill and Lippincott patrons, and its nine presidents, beinning with that leader of the Phila delphia Bar, Horace Binney, make the modest volume a contribution of note to the library lore of the Quaker City. There are other lists of officers and an excellent index ‘ . . , - . NORTH PENNSYLVANIA MINSTRELSY AS SUNG IN THE BACKWOODS SETTLEMENTS, HUNTING CABINS AND LUMBER CAMPS IN THE BLACK FOREST 7 OP PENNSYLVANIA, 1840-1923 , Collected by Henry W Shoemaker in Collaboration with John C French and John H. Chatham. Altoona, Penna , 1923. Illus 20 . Pp. 228 -|- 5 Second Edition Small quarto Paper, Colonel Shoemaker ’s introduction to his timely compilation of Penn sylvania mountain songs and legends stresses the thought, that the richest -treasure is always nearest at hand ; that in Pennsylvania ’s moun tains there is to be found the most fully developed cycle of folk tales and Indian legends in the United States, and, as extensive a selection of ballads and proverbs. It is indeed important that this particular field bo cultivated before it is forever too late. To this end the com piler asks foT volunteers, seekers like himself , for all that pertains to i i Pennsylvania beautiful, Pennsylvania glorious, Pennsylvania spiritual. J J He asks t-oo for songs in musical notation These latter ean be found if sufficient attention be given by those fortunate enough to still possess attic rooms under the eaves where, perchance, the fast yellowing music books of younger years are stored one above another Who of three score years was not, in more unhurried times, familiar with the ballads : “ Alfarata the Maid of Juniata, i > i ‘ The Gypsy ’s Warning, } 7 ?t f } i t 77 ti , , , Minnehaha ) ( Mocking Waneta to Juanita Listen the Bird “ ‘‘Lord Ban dal, my Son, ’ ’ and others of Colonel Shoemaker ’s collection ? . } . . P . . - S . . . - G . . ASSOCIATION OF CENTENARY FARMS and CORPORATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES. Philadelphia, 1924. Pp 212 Third Issue 8 ° . This Association, organized in 1889, with eight members and Mr Burnet Landreth president, has new reached eighty -seven centenary member firms, all dating from establishment by founder ancestors of the same name one hundred years ago, or over. ‘ There are perhaps fifty other firms one hundred years established and perhaps in business under the same name, but not in direct male descent from the founder and hence not eligible,’’ says Mr Landreth who is still president of the Association. It will be noticed that in addition to being a Commercial Association, this is also a genealogical association, because eligibility to membership consists in descent in one family for one hundred years or more in the same business, "t will oe noticed also that the membership comprises establishments as far north as Boston, as far south as Alexandria, . . . . ‘ . 1924 Copyright The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania PGM Vol IX 197 Recent Books . . Virginia, and as far west as Cincinnati None are found north, south , or west of these cities The well printed volume contains model historical sketches of the Association ’s eighty-seven member firms, beginning with that of the Francis Perot ’s Sons Malting Company, the oldest commercial house in America, founded in Philadelphia in 1687, and continuing through the list to the year 1923 Of the eighty-seven sketches, forty three are of Philadelphia firms, with eleven additional from Pennsylvania at large . . - . CONESTOGA MANOR AND HIS DESCENDANTS. Compiled and Edited by Edmund Hayes Bell and Mary Hall Colwell. Pp The Wictersham Printing Company, Lancaster, Penna , 1925 314 -j- x Frontispiece, The Juniata, from Weber ’s painting Ills 8 ; por 58 ; chart 1 8 ° Among the outstanding figures of Cresap ’s War none are more dramatic than that of James Patterson of Conestoga Manor, Pennsylvania, “ His is a portrait in high relief against a background dimly visible through the mists of time ’’ and the projectors of this work have done well in presenting to the public so succinct an account of their propositor and his times, his descendants and their times, in which he and they respectively served with distinction. Printed on Japanese hand-made paper and enriched with portraits by West, Charles Wilson and Rembrant Peale, Mary and Sarah Peale and Eicholtz, the volume is a delight to touch and sight It is at once the story of a family historically treated as well as the story of historical events, colonial and state, treated genealogically, and the compilers, editors and publisher are alike to be congratulated upon so notable an example of book -making and the printer ’s art Its warp and woof of history, biography and genealogy are made to balance with fine precision It has a copious index. JAMES PATTERSON . h . . . . . . . P . OP G S . . . A BRIE? GENEALOGY OF THE LOUGHRY FAMILY OF PENNSYLVANIA. By Julia Ann Jewett, St Louis, Mo., 1923. Pp [3J -f - 85 (- 28 8’. Mrs Jewett is a conscientious and indefatigable worker In the present volume she gives an account of Jeremiah Lockery who came to Pennsyl vania from Ireland prior to 1740, together with the record of his descendants to the seventh generation. It is a real addition to Penn sylvania family history. . 1924 . . Copyright The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania . . - PGM Vol IX